- by Carmen Apostu
- Posted May 18, 2016
Slack, Evernote, Dropbox, Stripe, Google Drive. You’ve used at least one of them. You may even use all of them on a regular basis.
Not only that, but it’s likely they get more valuable to you over time due to just how much you utilize them. What is the major driving force to this coveted level of success of the software industry?
One word. Integrations.
The power of APIs across the web have begun to increase the functionality of awesome tools and transform how we work. Exposing your API for your SaaS comes with some incredible benefits for your business AND your customers.
Can your business benefit from integrations and potentially an Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS)?
To come to a decision, we’ll have to discuss whether or not building multiple integrations in-house is an achievable goal and whether or not a third-party service is the right choice to accomplish that goal.
The good news is there are a few simple things that will let you know. Let’s go over them.
API Stat: 50% of Salesforce transactions happen through integrations with their API.
Do People Who Use Your SaaS Use Other Apps?
The answer is almost undoubtedly, YES. But what kind of integrations can make your SaaS more valuable to current and future users?
You may not have an easy to connect hub like the messaging app, Slack. Although, that doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from utilizing the thousands of APIs at your disposal. There are so many different online tools, it’s hard to think that an application couldn’t stand to benefit from any of them.
Figuring out what apps your target audience uses isn’t that difficult either.
You can accomplish this by listing the other tools that your average user may access daily. For instance, if you’re a B2B SaaS, could customers benefit from these:
- Google Tools (e.g. Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube)
- Marketing Automation Tools
- Email Marketing Tools
- Government Data APIs
- Social Media Tools
For an app that is more personal lifestyle and less workplace oriented, you can still integrate to make your product more appealing. Here are a few options:
- Google Tools (they are pretty much good for anything).
- Netflix
- Social Media Tools
- Wikipedia
- Job Search Engines
Pro Tip: Head on over to Programmableweb and have a search through their directory of over 15 thousand open APIs. You’ll be surprised (in the right mindset) how many tools could add value to yours.